


secret sparks

by SkyflakesandGarlicBread



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Mutant Reader, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, a lot of swears
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-22
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-06 12:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14056839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyflakesandGarlicBread/pseuds/SkyflakesandGarlicBread
Summary: A wannabe, unexperienced, crime fighting part-time vigilante in New York City strives to keep her neighborhood safe when Spider-Man is out, doing God knows what. Wearing a mask, she is silent, graceful, and efficient as a teenage girl can be. However, when out of the mask, she is just a normal student, getting through each semester one all-nighter at a time.She faces a dilemma when crime happens in front of her eyes, her costume out of her hands and Spider-Man is nowhere to be seen. She risks exposing herself, for the sake of a dying old man, and a child who has just started his life. Spider-Man gets suspicious of the whole situation and decides to dig deep.





	1. fires

A quiet man stood outside a Laundromat, glancing at his watch every few seconds. His lips tainted with nicotine, he took another drag of the cigarette he was smoking. He looked ahead, noting that the streets were becoming bare. Only a few souls were walking around and only a number of cars were passing by. He sighed, dropping his cigarette on the floor and stomping on it. He grabbed his bag from the floor, making sure that he had a firm grip on it.

He looked through the windows of the Laundromat. There was only an old man, a teenage boy, and a child inside, with a young cashier. A faint smirk appeared on his face. He stuffed his hands inside his jacket, feeling the familiar texture of wood.

While entering the small shop, the teenage boy immediately exited, quickly packing his clothes inside his bag, with a handkerchief accidentally falling from his bag. The quiet man thought nothing of it; it was a school night after all. His hands inside his jacket, he caressed the handle of his small switchblade. He slowly approached the bored-looking cashier.

She looked at him, putting down her phone. “Yes, sir, how may I help you?” She mumbled, straightening her back. Everything was silent, except for the whirring of the machines and the sounds coming from the little boy’s tablet, and the quiet man intently watched the cashier.

“Yes, if you don’t mind, do you have any detergent? Looks like I forgot to bring mine. And, uh, how much would it be?” He asked, smiling at her; however the smile did not reach his eyes.

The cashier raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Yep, it’s only a dollar and a few cents. I’ll get some from the back, just wait here,” She turned and opened the door behind her, then disappearing inside the room.

He looked at the sleeping old man, his smile even widening. He stared at the boy sitting on a bench near him and almost burst out laughing. He called out to the boy. At first, he did not respond, however, he soon took notice. He gestured to him to come over to him and he shuffled over, his eyes never leaving the screen of his gadget.

The quiet man grabbed him by his shoulders and squeezing it. The boy grunted and started complaining and whining.  The man took out his blade and showed it to the boy.

“If you make any more noise, I assure you, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to anymore,” He threatened, then hiding the blade once again, as soon as the cashier came out, holding out a packet.

“Here it is, sir, we only have-“ The cashier was cut off, as the man showed her his knife. She dropped the plastic and gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth and she tried not to scream. The man held the knife to the boy’s throat. “O-oh God, s-sir, oh, fuck, shit, shit, shit. Holy-“

The man cut her off by clearing his throat.  “Shut your fucking mouth,” He gave her his bag. “Now, we can walk out of this experience either with me, getting a lot of money, or with all of you dead. It’s a win-win situation with me anyway, so, if you wanna live, do _not_ make any noise,” The cashier nodded, and the man’s shoulders dropped. “Great, fill up that bag, _quickly_ , or someone here dies,”

The child struggled for a while, until the cashier put a finger to her mouth. “Charles, please, don’t,”

The man looked down at Charles and patted his head. “Right Charles, listen to her. She may save your life,”

The cashier, through tears, opened the register. She put every penny she saw in the slots inside the bag, doing as the man said. She was trembling, accidentally dropping a bill on the floor. She swooped down and almost fell, when she saw the look on his face.

“Anymore bills falling down, and Charles’ neck is going to be a bit twisted. Hurry the fuck up!” At this shout, the old man woke up. He saw the situation and stealthily stood up, making sure not to make any sound. The cashier noticed this and almost sighed out of relief, if it wasn’t for the man glowering at her.

The old man almost made it to the entrance, but the man laughed. “You think that’ll fool me? I can hear you from a mile away, grandpa,” He turned around and threw his knife at the old man. It hit him in his left side. He choked and fell to the ground, making a ruckus and heavily breathing. “It’s not that bad, I didn’t hit your heart or anything like that. You’ll live,”

The child bit his lip as her tried not to make a sound nor move. He closed his eyes as tears formed in his eyes. The cashier looked at him with pity, turning her head to the side. “W-Why are you doing this to u-us, sir?” She wiped her eyes and zipped the bag, handing it to the man with care.

“Me? I’m just a bit bored and my debt is getting out of control. That’s all,” He winked at her and grabbed the bag, releasing the child. The cashier jumped over the desk to him. She hugged him, cooing and rubbing his back.

The man was nearing the glass doors, and the cashier made a huge decision. She saw the small handkerchief left by the teenage boy a while ago and pointed her hand to it. She closed her eyes and wished that the gods were in her favor. A small burst of energy came out from her fingertips and miraculously landed on the handkerchief. The man accidentally stepped on it, and yelled. He hopped on his foot while he was trying to extinguish the fire from his pants, which was dangerously going upward.

The cashier led Charles through the backdoor and came back for the struggling old man. At this point, the fire had spread from the piece of cloth, to parts of the floor. It was starting to get hot, and the fire was painting the room red. It was extremely bright as well and the fire was travelling onto the walls.

She spotted the old man and ran towards him, dragging him by his arms. She was already breathing heavily by the time they got to the desk. She was whispering words of encouragement as she saw the embers of the old man’s life were dying.

Out of nowhere, the quiet man appeared and slammed her to the wall. He restrained her and screamed at her face. His hands were wrapped around her neck, and in a few moments, the cashier was turning blue. “You little bitch! How did you create this fire? I bet you’re one of those mutant freaks! You piece of shit, I’ll get you for this-“ The man was not able to finish his line of insults as the thud of footprints echoed behind him.

A man in a red and blue suit appeared and punched the man in the face, as soon as he turned to face the masked man.

The cashier took advantage of this distraction and came back to the old man, trying to carry him through the door. When she got out side, she propped the old man on the sidewalk, making sure he was comfortable. She saw Charles, huddled in a corner and picked him up. She took out her phone and dialed ‘911’. She talked so fast, the operator made her repeat her sentences.

“I’m sorry, there was a man who tried to rob us, and an old man was stabbed in the chest area. Then there was a fire, a-and then another man, Spiderman, showed up. They are still inside, and I-I don’t know what to do, oh God,” She was breathing heavily as Charles held on to her. The old man was looking at her with a grim face, wincing every now and then.

“Ma’am, yes, the police and the fire department are on their way, try to remain as calm as possible. Do not remove the knife from the man’s chest. Stay calm, help is on the way. They’re coming as fast as they can, don’t worry,” The cashier tried to steady her breathing, as she cried.

“Miss, you don’t mind if I stay with you on the phone, right? I’m just- I’m so scared. I-I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Tears fell from her eyes. It was streaming straight down, and it showed no signs of stopping. “One thing I do know, my mom is so going to kill me, ha,” She tried to joke, but it only led to more pain. “Oh, God, my mom! Miss, I’m so scared, please tell the police to hurry up,”

The operator comforted her, trying to help her cope with the situation. “Ma’am, wait for a few minutes. Police are just around the corner, just hold on, okay?” She silently nodded and tried to cover her sobs.

A loud crash was heard from behind the building. The cashier shrieked and slowly turned around. The operator was panicking, asking what happened. “Hello? Ma’am? What happened? Is anyone hurt? Are you okay?”

The cashier’s mouth was open and her hand stopped rubbing the back of Charles. She felt limp and a bit happy.

There, in all his glory, was Spider-Man, carrying the man over his shoulders.

“Spider-Man just came out, and he has the man…” The cashier was speechless and the operator wasn’t making any sense to her.

Spider-Man dropped the man and put his foot on the man’s back. “Are you all alright?” His voice was heavily altered, but the cashier seemed to ignore it and shook her head.

“N-no, one of us is injured. The man stabbed this old guy,” The cashier pointed to the old man who was lying on his back. “H-He isn’t dead, he’s just injured,” Spider-Man looked at the old man and carried him, being careful not to touch his wounded area. He adjusted his position for a bit, then stood up carefully.

“I’ll take care of him, just don’t let this dude out of your sight, alright?” The hero turned away, and the cashier noticed that Charles was already fast asleep. The cashier looked down, until Spider-Man decided to speak again. “I’m sorry I didn’t arrive earlier,” With that, Spider-Man flew-no, not flew, but grappled to buildings. The cashier watched him as he disappeared into the naked and bare night, his figure turning to a small silhouette.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yo sup!! i hope u enjoyed this!
> 
> if u see any grammatical errors, pls tell me! I'm not a native English speakers, soooo pls do!
> 
> yeah, don't forget to give constructive criticism or comments, bc those motivate and help me crunch out a chapter or two every week!
> 
> see yaa


	2. interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing makes sense to Peter, and questioning the girl only leads to a dead end.

Spider-Man had two goals in his career; help others, and to hopefully inspire people to do the same. He thought of that when he started _being_ Spider-Man. _The Spiderman._ He thought that he was helping with decreasing crime rates, as the only crimes he usually encountered was public disturbance and assault. But as he looked at the man in his arms, he only doubted himself more and more.

This old man was just minding his own business, but he _had_ to be stabbed. He was at risk of dying; his life was in Peter’s hand. A teenage boy who didn’t even know what to do after his whole hero career.

He zipped through buildings, making sure that the old man in his arms was still fine and comfortable. He counted in his head as to how long until he got to the nearest hospital there was. Every muscle in his body was working hard to help this man. He felt his calves burn and his arms get numb. He had never been in this much of a hurry before.

Bright lights made contact with his eyes as the glow of the hospital sent a wave of relief through him. He slowed down and landed on his feet. He adjusted the man once again and rushed towards the entrance, shouting at the nurses.

“Excuse me! Excuse me! This man needs serious medical attention right now! He was stabbed! Help!” His robotic voice rang throughout the hospital, making sure that everyone heard it. Doctors and nurses dashed to him, rolling a bed. He placed the man on it and watched as they took him away. He answered most of the staff’s medical questions, and then escaped when patients started noticing him.

Before he did, he promised to himself that he’d visit the old man tomorrow.

\--

Peter finds himself in a dark alley. His mind was blank, and his whole body was moving on autopilot.

He didn’t even realize.

Stuffing his Spider-Man suit inside his bag, he swapped it with his regular clothes. He almost chuckled at the routine that this had become, but stops himself. A faint smile, however, takes place on his face.

The burning Laundromat was a bit far away, but once he got there, it was still on fire. He does not understand why the robber would burn it, nor does he try to ignore it.

He tried to look for more information, but the sirens and the shouts distracted him. It’s an overload of information, and his ears and eyes were trying their best to process everything. Closing his eyes and steadying his breath was helpful, at least. It helped him stay focused.

“Water isn’t working! Try carbon!” One of the firefighters screamed out to others. Peter’s curiosity only grew when he heard this. _Why would they need carbon?_

He shimmied his way through the forming crowd. Almost everybody was recording the huge-ass fire and they were pretty close to the heat. His forehead was already dripping with sweat by the time he got to the front of the crowd. The lighting was harsh, not to mention the lights from the ambulance and police cars.

Looking around at the scene by straining his eyes, he saw the girl and the child talking to a couple of cops. They were surrounded and one of the cops was noting everything. Some journalists and news interviewers were behind him, trying their best to break the police line.

Peter came closer, so he could hear parts of the conversation. He focuses on their voices and singles them out.

“…Okay, do you know that man?” A police officer pointing to the man inside the car asked the girl. She looked behind her and shook her head. The boy she was carrying was fast asleep, and she was still rubbing his back. “Did you see anything suspicious before that man came? Do you have any idea how or why the fire was formed?”

Again, the girl shook her head. “I’m telling you officer, I don’t know. I’ve had a stressful day, I-I don’t know what to do, or what you want me to answer!” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that. I’ll try my best on answering your questions,”

The police officer questioning her put his hand on her shoulder. “Just rest up, kiddo, alright?” He leaves her and a paramedic approaches the both of them, giving her a bunch of tests. She is given a water bottle and she sits back on the ambulance.

Peter doesn’t buy it.

It may be because he has been working as hero for a few months, but he sensed that the girl was lying. The crossed arms, the side glance, and putting her hair behind her ears? Those were all sign of someone telling a lie.

Peter turns away and tries to spot a lone cop. It takes him a few seconds, but as soon as he does, he strides over to him and immediately asks him a few question, making sure that he sounded as casual as possible.

“Excuse me, sir? What happened here?” The cop acknowledges him, but doesn’t answer. “Please, can you tell me what happened?” The officer sighs and wipes his head.

“We don’t know this yet, but all we know is that this ain’t normal fire. This is some kind of electrical fire and we don’t know how this happened. Ain’t no faulty wiring or anything like that, but we’re still trying to figure things out,” Peter nods at him and says a quick thank you.

He looks back at the fire, and it looks like it had calmed down. The dark and ashy burnt part of the building was already exposed. It was a good thing; they were finally extinguishing the fire. Peter could tell he was going to have a field day trying to look at the burnt pieces of the Laundromat.

Peter stayed there until the girl left. She was obviously a bit shaken up, so a police car escorted her home. He quickly ran into another dark alley and changed back into his suit. It was dark when she left, so he had to ask Karen for help when he climbed up the wall.

“Karen, try to help me follow that police car, I need to talk to that girl,” Peter screams into the wind, jumping over buildings.

“Okay, Peter,” Karen’s robotic voice echoed in his ears, and she starts giving him updates. “Car is on your left side, currently heading for the 46th street, straight ahead,”

Peter followed her and he was shooting webs everywhere, keeping up with the car. He sat on the edge of a rooftop, squinting his eyes to make sure it was the right car. The car stopped and the girl got out, the police officer coming with her.

They both go inside, and Peter peeks over the roof. In a few moments, one of the windows’ lights turns on. Then, the police officer exits out of the building, gets inside his car, and drives away.

Peter climbs down to the side until he is in front of the window and falls on a platform. He taps on the glass and it looks like the girl didn’t hear it. He knocks once again, and the girl still doesn’t hear it. He closes his eyes, and tries to listen inside.

 _“Don’t worry, Charles, everything is okay. Mom and dad, they’ll figure things out! We’re not alone in this, we still got each other,”_ He hears the girl say this and he has to admit, this pulled on his heart strings.

 _“But what about the cleaning machines? And what about the fire? How did that happen? I saw you-“_ Before the child could finish his sentence, the girl talks, interrupting him.

 _“For now Charles, just go to sleep, okay? We’ll talk about this in the morning, we don’t have to go to school tomorrow,”_ Peter hears something moving, then footsteps coming his way.

He waits until the girl was inside the room, then knocks again. He hears her gasp and he gets ready. Her movements were slow, and it was understandable that she was uneasy.

Soon, she opens the curtain and Peter thinks she had a mini heart attack.

“Ah, y-you’re Spiderman! Erm, this is, uh, what, uh,” It takes her a few moments to realize she still hasn’t opened her window. Once she does, she invites him in and tells him to sit down on the chair. “Why-why are you here?”

Peter sighs and his shoulders drop. “Good evening, are you alright?” He needed to be as subtle as possible, and not jump on the big questions immediately. The girl nods. “What are you and your brother’s name?”

“I’m ___ and he’s Charles. I-I’m sorry, but what are you here for exactly?” Peter could see that she was fidgeting, and it was so obvious.

He laughed nervously and cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, I just wanted to know what happened? Arson is a big crime, and if someone is organizing attacks everywhere in the city, then-“

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she grunted. “No, no, it’s nothing like that, erm. I think it’s just the wires? Or maybe it was just one of the machines overheating, it happens all the time! Nothing _that_ serious,” Peter could not understand, _what does she mean by wires?_ She crossed her arms and glanced to the side.

“I see, did you know the man that robbed you?” She shook her head. “Ma’am, you’re not lying, are you? About any of this?” Again, she shook her head.

The scenario with the police officer was repeating. ___ really wasn’t going to say anything, and Peter’s head spun. Peter, nonetheless, just nodded his head. He tried to ignore the tugging feeling in the back of his head that she was involved in everything, but he considered the shock she still felt.

“Thank you for your answers, have a great evening,” Like a parallel, he went out the window, and ___ saw his back, become a silhouette, and she felt a huge wave of déjà vu.

As soon as Peter arrived home, he texted Ned, so he could have someone to discuss the whole case with.

_Peterman: yo ned, are you still awake?_

He waited for his response, and he put his phone on a table. Then, he took off the suit, changing in his comfy pajamas. After a few minutes, his phone vibrated.

 _needleman: whats up peter? its like 1am, why r u texting me_  
_Peterman: i need to tell u about this case cause everything has no sense_  
_needleman: fire away, i guess, i was awake anyway when u texted_

Collecting his thoughts, he typed it all down, trying to summarize everything that had happened.

 _Peterman: ok, so theres this girl_  
_Peterman: and she works at a laundromat, and i went there earlier to wash my clothes_  
_Peterman: a man walks in, and my senses are going crazy Peterman: i run my ass outta there, and i change into my suit, right_  
_needleman:  ok and then???_  
_Peterman: but i see a nearby woman being robbed, so i stop that first, then i go back to the shop P_  
_eterman: so I come back, and the whole things on fire_  
_Peterman: on fucking fire_

He stopped typing, as Ned’s speech bubble was typing.

 _needleman: what_  
_Peterman: i know! so i rescue the old man and fight the guy, then take him out_  
_Peterman: but anyway, after that mess, i asked the girl questions, like how there was fire? and she lies so much. she says that she didnt know why or how the fire went on. like??_  
_needleman: what did the police say abt the fire? and she may be part of the whole thing?_  
_Peterman: idk, they used carbon_  
_needleman: well carbon is used for electrical fires so_  
_Peterman: yeah, the cop said that it was caused by electricity, but there was nothing that couldve made that big fire. and its more suspicious because she wont talk. like._

Ned’s response was a bit long. He waited for a few minutes until he finally typed.

 _needleman: sorry dude i accidentally dozed off, idk what else to say, maybe talk to michelle tom? its hard to talk abt stuff on text, and michelle is asleep._  
_Peterman: ok man, sure. gn, theres a quiz tom so yeah_  
_needleman: ok gn_

Peter sighed and put his phone under his pillow. Trying to put the puzzle pieces was making him stressed. Everything was just… off. He knew that the girl was hiding something from him, from the way she tensed up when he asked about the fire.

One thing’s for sure though, he’d figure all his shit out after school tomorrow, and probably ace his physics quiz as a bonus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> suppp i might add another chapter later, assuming i finish it
> 
> again, i accept constructive criticism! those help me a lot and ur giving me motivation so yeah!!
> 
> hope u enjoyed this!! :)


	3. mortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ___ spends quality time with Charles, and at the same time, her destructive thoughts plague her. She struggles internally and decides to let it out through her training.

___ woke up, tired as shit, as it was five in the morning. Her night was a blur, and as soon as she even started to recall anything, her eyes started to produce tears. She did remember a bright fire, Charles crying, and Spider-Man showing up. It was as if she blocked out that memory from her.

The TV was already on, Charles was probably on the couch, watching it. Her stomach growled, so she assumed he was hungry as well. She exited her room and greeted her little brother.

“Good morning, Charles, how are you?” A cracked and whispery voice escaped her mouth. She almost didn’t recognize herself. She headed straight to their small kitchen and prepared some breakfast. A simple one, just scrambled eggs and some sausages. “Are you going to school? You don’t have to, if you don’t wanna,”

“No, I’ll be going!” He replied back and shuffled toward the dining table as soon as ___ she appeared from the kitchen. “Thank you!”

They ate in silence, Charles occasionally asking ___ trivial questions. They were either weird questions, or ones that made ___ uncomfortable. Charles eventually asked about the night before, and everything comes to ___ in a flash.

It was as if she had suffered whiplash, and all her memories rushed to her. She remembered being held up as the man raised a gun-or was it a knife- to her. She remembered the feeling of hopelessness as Charles was in the man’s clutches. She remembered seeing the blood of the old man, the sidewalk being stained red as his eyes almost lost their light. She remembered the handkerchief that saved her life, that helped her get back some of her dignity, that stopped the thief from getting away.

She remembered the pure anger in the man’s eyes as she begged for him to stop.

Charles’ question rang inside his head, and she didn’t know what to answer. Not that she _didn’t know the answer_ , but she was caught off guard, because she was speaking to a _child_. His question was not something that should come from a fifth grader, much less an eleven year-old child.

“Will we die?” ___ stopped. She accidentally dropped her spoon onto the cold, hard floor.

“Charles, I don’t-where did you even get this?” Charles didn’t look at her, he just continued to chew his food. It was nothing but silence, and ___ was getting tired of the silence. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Charles broke the silence.

“The bad man, he could be back, or maybe he’s like you! I’m so afraid,” Charles looked at ___ with big, doe eyes. She didn’t meet his eyes, but she scooted over to him. Her hands ended up on his shoulders and she stared at him, straight in his eyes.

“Listen to me, Charles, the bad man isn’t going back, alright? As long as I’m here, you’ll be fine. We’ll both be fine. I swear,” She hugged him and comforted him. “Are you sure you still wanna go to school?” She feels Charles nod and she lets go of him. “Then get ready, kiddo,”

\--

 After ___ left Charles at school, she decided to roam around, with no specific place in mind. Just to escape the suffocating confines of her room. That was just her only reason, nothing less, nothing more.

As she looked at the displays at the shops, she found a bookstore, named Nage bookshops, one that was mildly popular. It was a bit dusty, and the room smelled like paper. The floor was wooden, actually, almost everything was made of wood; except for the metal bars that showed at the sides of the shelves. ___ decided to get a present for Charles, because she knew that that would cheer him up.

The ring belled when she went inside, and there were only three people there, besides her. She glanced around, trying to find the Science section. There was History, Fiction, Sci-Fi, and _ah_ Science.

She approached it, scanning the shelves for something that would be appropriate for kids his age. She settled for a book that said ‘Physics: For Beginners’ and purchased it for a few dollars.

Exiting the shop, she looked at the time and saw that it was almost Charles’ dismissal, so, she headed there.

Now, their school was a special one. It was known for a special science curriculum, and their parents enrolled the both of them there after hearing his fascination with the subject. Charles almost consistently got high grades, and would attend junior quiz bee competitions.

___ on the other hand, was great at science, but she wasn’t on the same level as her brother. At least for their age groups, he was better. He was smarter and way advanced. His older sister couldn’t keep up with him, nor could his peers.

For her, Charles was her super genius brother, and she knew that he was gonna go far in life. She didn’t mind if he left her, in their dangerous neighborhood, but if he got a chance at a normal life, without her weird mutation, then that was enough for her.

Staring at the huge school, the bell rings loudly, signaling that the school day was over. ___ entered through the gates and waited for Charles. She sat at one of the plastic benches outside the school. Because of its prestige, the state school was funded by the government, so ___ knew that they both got the best education.

She was just riding on his back, as everyone in Midtown School, she was sure, that was infinitely better. Doubting herself was normal, and she was okay with it. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but at least she was honest with herself.

“Hey, ___!” Her attention gets drawn to a voice calling her name.

It was Charles.

“Charlie! How was school?” She strided over to him, handing him the paper bag. “I also bought you a gift, you can open it later,” She smiled at him and led him outside the school property, and Charles spots an ice cream stand.

“Can we buy ice cream?” ___ laughed. They both walked over to the stand.

“Sure, why not?” Checking her wallet, she found that she only had enough to buy one cone. _Of course_. Her pay day was supposed to be on Friday, but after the fire, she doubted she could get her salary. Nonetheless, her smile remained on her face and she faced the vendor, ordering ice cream. She handed it to Charles and she watched him, observing his happiness.

“Also, my day was great. I’m working on a new project, but it’s a secret. I won’t tell you, it’s a surprise!” ___ pats his head and chuckles.

“Whatever you say kiddo, I’m going to find out anyway,” She winks at him and they head home, both of them trying to forget the incident, the night before.

As they walked home, ___ saw the happy people around. Charles’ innocent expression only saddened her. She was weak. She couldn’t pretend her _own_ brother, and she knew she was a failure. It was pathetic.

How could she say that she was one of the good guys when she wasn’t even strong? She wasn’t fit to be a sister, and she knew that.  A tear almost fell from her eye, but she held it in. Crying in front of Charles, showing that she was weak? It was not an option. She couldn’t show to him that the one who’s supposed to be there for him couldn’t even handle her own emotions.

Arriving home, at their little and comfy apartment was a relief. It was a familiar place and it helped ___ calm down a bit. They ordered pizza and Charles opened the paper bag ___ gave to him. He loved the book and was at a quarter in when he dozed off. As they lay on the couch, ___ and Charles had never felt this level of relaxation.

He was already asleep, and ___ expected that. Charles was always a person who slept early. She smiled and slowly removed herself from his sleeping figure.

She carried him and tucked him into bed. “Good night, Charles. Sweet dream,” She kissed his forehead and headed to her room, grabbing a hoodie and a mask. Opening the window, she disappeared into the night, running as fast as she can to her own secret.

Gazing at the abandoned factory, she felt tingles. Adrenaline rushed through her and she just got excited looking at the building.

Inside was some sort of punk-ish and dark place. Pipes and old mechanical technology were there, collecting dust and turning into rust. Thankfully, since it seemed like the building was owned by some sort of public company, it wasn’t being used. She wasn’t _technically_ breaking in, but she was.

Some homeless people popped up sometime, but after seeing the lightning inside, they stopped. ___ was okay with it, less people would bother her now. Setting up the whole building as a training place was a real pain in the ass, but it was worth it in the end.

It wasn’t fancy, but it got the job done. There were a few dummies in the middle, some made of rubber, to avoid setting the building on fire. Then there were poles that were great for climbing practice. She’d run a bit before starting so she could do cardio.

Her routine was just a normal one, but her method of fighting was more like street fighting. There was no right or wrong moves, because everything was just trying to find an opening in your enemy. It was unprofessional, but that was the only thing she knew how to do.

___ put down her speaker and blasted music. It was loud bass, and it made her feel a lot more powerful.

Stretching and running a few laps inside the factory was her whole warm-up. Then she looked at the rubber dummy. She steadied her breath and kicked at its side. She gave a right uppercut, a jab and she crouched, kicking it at its feet. She screamed at every hit, and soon, her face was red from anger.

She did a few more practices, and then decided to take a small break.

Guilt was creeping in her mind as she realized she skipped out on patrolling the city yesterday and tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> helloooo!! i did a 2nd update im so proud of myself 
> 
> i hope u liked it and that it was also full of quality
> 
> dont forget to comment and leave constructive criticism!
> 
> thank u for reading and see yaaa


	4. investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter just wants to solve this mystery, but unfortunately, sleeping is a thing.

At the crime scene, Peter hid behind a car, studying the police man in front of him. The afternoon sun bore into him, making sweat appear from his pores. It was kind of cool, because of the wind, but the sun and its rays wanted to make his life miserable. The police man was in his late thirties, and was a bit chubby. He looked uneasy and kept glancing at his phone, inside his police car. He concluded that in a few minutes, the cop would give into his temptation and use his phone on duty.

Well, good news; he was right, but, bad news; New York cops aren’t supposed to be trusted. The man thought he could be excused and ran to his car to check on his phone. Peter sighed as he saw this unfold. _This_ was the reason he decided to become Spider-Man; some cops were incompetent at their jobs.

Hey, at least he could poke around at the building while the man was busy.

Rushing to the burnt establishment, he went inside found out that the police had set markers around. There were little arrows with numbers on them. He roamed and around and tried to figure out what it all meant.

The building still had its foundation, so there were still walls around it. It was just dark and ashy. The washing machines still stood; but they were melted. Whenever he took steps, dust came out under his shoes. Overall, it was all dirty and unappealing.

Arrow number one was placed in a part where it was the darkest. He concluded that that was where the fire probably started. He also noted that the burnt part wasn’t even near one of the machines or the wiring. It was on the ground, near the entrance.

The number two was where a bag was placed; there were a few black and crumpled papers coming out of it. The other numbers were scattered everywhere, but Peter didn’t think they were important.

He got all he needed. Finally, he definitely knew that the girl _was_ lying. It wasn’t just him.

The policeman was still inside his car when Peter exited. He scoffed at the policeman and as he sneaked around, his phone vibrated.

He hightailed it out of there and hid in an alley. This was _at least_ the fifth time in two days that he got in an alley without even noticing it. He had to fix that habit.

His phone kept on vibrating, so he took it and his heart almost stopped. _It was an alarm. He almost forgot to check on the old man._

-

The old man’s window was at the eighth floor, and Peter, in his suit, had tried his best to not get spotted. Standing on the roof, he could see the whole city, and for a moment, he forgot about the whole weird case with the girl and the burning Laundromat. The breeze was a there, but it was weak. The sun was almost setting, and it was creating a beautiful gradient. For a moment, he felt at peace, and he thought that it could never get better.

That was, until, he realized that he was on top of a hospital. It broke him out of his trance and he slapped himself a few times. He counted the windows and spotted the right floor. He winged the room number and peaked at every window. On the second try, he saw the familiar face of the old man, whose eyes were open.

Peter knocked on the glass and opened it, coming inside. He stared at the old man who gasped.

“Y-You’re Spider-Man!” The old man almost jumped out of his bed and Peter rushed to him.

“Are you alright, sir?” Sitting on one of the chairs, Peter looked at the old man, who nodded slowly. “May I ask what your name is?”

The old man cleared his throat and coughed. “Yes, my name is Henry, and bless you, young man! I am forever grateful to you,” The man’s raspy voice filled the silence as Peter thought about what to say. “The doctors say that I just suffered a head injury, a few minor burns, and they had to operate on me to remove the knife. I’m not strong, but without you, I may have not lived. How can I repay you?”

“Look, uh, I just need to ask a couple of questions, about the fire? You don’t have to answer them if you don’t want to,” The man nodded and Peter smiled from behind his mask. “Can you tell me everything you know about-“

“Young man, that girl,” He whispered.

 “What about her?”

“That girl has electricity flowing through her veins,”

Peter’s eyes widened and the machine next to him beeped loudly. The man’s breathing was erratic and he heard footsteps coming in the direction of the room. He had to flee from the hospital room and leave the man there. He wished to God that he was okay.

-

In the middle of his nightly patrol, Peter observed the city.

Everything was silent. There were only a number of cars that were active at twelve in the morning, after all. A few people were also walking around, but he didn’t sense anything that was wrong. The moon was high up in the sky, and it was helping him navigate.

As peaceful as everything was, as he sat on yet another rooftop, his mind kept coming back to the statement the old man said. Was this proving his hypothesis that something fishy had happened at the Laundromat? Maybe the old man had a hallucination and mistook something else as causing the fire.

But the old man was the only one who was there, actually willing to talk. It was bad luck that the man had an attack right before he was about to ask him. Maybe it was stress, and he couldn’t take thinking about the whole incident.

He put his head in his hands and he let out an agitated grunt. Peter had never felt _this_ annoyed, ever. Except for times training with the Avengers, this moment was the only time he had ever felt a big, warm, bubbly sensation rising out from his stomach.

The answer was at the tip of his finger and he just couldn’t reach for it.  There was something off, something he forgot. A vital piece that could just be the answer to all his questions.

An electric-like feeling pricked his back and a shiver ran through his body. He knew what this was; it was a bad sign, especially because it was happening at midnight. He almost fell, it took him completely by surprise.

 Flinging himself to wherever this sensation was taking him, he thought about all the possibilities. What could this mean? He had never had it _this_ intense.

All he knew was that he needed to get to that destination as soon as possible; something either good or bad was happening.

He stumbled on an old abandoned factory. It was a button factory that went out of commission decades ago. No one had ever demolished it for some reason. It was familiar to him; he’d sometimes pass by here.

There were a few noises and crackling inside. At this point, Peter’s guard was on high alert. Any small sound he’d hear would earn a reaction from him.

He was already inside the dark factory, but there was loud music coming from it. He only noticed it after creeping near it.

“Karen, do you have any information regarding this building?” He whispered to his suit.

“No, sorry, but it seems as if this factory is never used,”

Peter climbed the wall and saw that the window was cracked. He went through it and the music was blasting his ears into nothing. It was too much for him, the loud music and struggling to see through the dark place was too much input. He focused so the music could at least turn mold into the background. That worked.

He was currently on the second floor, and it had a huge hole in it with railings around. There was a person below him, and he found out that the music was coming below. He could also hear the person screaming over the music.

“You fucking weak piece of shit! This is exactly why fucking Spider-Man beat you!” This was another scenario that Peter was used to. Becoming a hero had its pros and cons, and this was one of its cons. People constantly wanted to end you. It was honestly a big bother.

He couldn’t really make out the face nor the hair, because the person was wearing a hoodie, and because of the eagle view, he couldn’t see anything clearly. He could infer that the person was probably female from the voice, and he momentarily saw her face, but not enough that he could actually familiarize himself with it.

The person was hitting a dummy repeatedly, and he saw that along with her hits, there were small light coming out of her hands and feet. It was kind of blinding, but bearable. He was amazed and he couldn’t believe that he was seeing another mutant, other than the Avengers and himself.

Of course, he still hadn’t forgotten that this person had screaming insults at him and herself.

That was kinda off-putting, but who cares? From what he had observed, this person had control with her powers and was completely focused in her training. She was punching and kicking like there was no tomorrow. Her stances could be worked on, but she was on a level that could take down an average person.

She was hitting the dummy with her electricity powe-

Electricity?

Peter stopped himself and realized that she could be the one who set the electrical fire, in some way. He didn’t know how, but he had somewhat of a lead. At least he now knew this wasn’t just something weird happening.

Completely out of his mind, he accidentally sighed out loud. He thought that that wouldn’t catch her attention, and he was right! However, the railing he was holding was a bit weak, and it creaked a bit.

Now that? It definitely caught her attention.

She turned off the music, grabbed a towel and looked up. Peter swore that she was staring directly at him. “Hello? Is there anyone there?”

For the second time that day, he ran outta there. He didn’t look back, fearing that the person might stare back at him. He felt like he had heard that voice before, but he probably just imagined it. But he didn’t have any time to think about these thoughts.

He should focus at the matter in hand. Trying to make sure that he won’t accidentally fall off his web and fall face first(that _has_ happened when he was still getting used to web-flinging). The air was getting knocked out of him as he burned away all his energy.

He swore that he would never be able to use his arms after this.

Overworking was hard, especially when he had school seven hours later. Was it seven? How long was he in that factory?

Taking a brief break, he looked at his watch and the red numbers taunted him.

_It was already three in the morning._

He had to rush back home so he could insert at least a bit of sleep time. Scared of the consequences that would befall on him if he fell asleep in the middle of Dr. Tero’s lecture, he swung his ass as fast as he could, just imagining the soft pillows and his fluffy comforter. Thinking about that just made him sleepy.

Fighting his sleep, just to sleep at home was one of the **_best_** experience a person could ever have. (sarcasm, of course)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhh, pls tell me if this is a bit over the place!!! im a bit sleepyl mao
> 
> dont froget to leave criticism and comments!! thank you!!
> 
> good night everyone i will sleep  
> hope u enjoyed this chapter :)
> 
> see yaaa


	5. control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ___ has thoughts about Charles and the incident.

That was weird.

 ___ _swore_ she heard a noise, but as she crept up the stairs, there was nothing of importance that could be discovered there. The noise she heard was a squeak, kind of like metal rubbing against metal. It was kind of annoying, and it took her by surprise.

She was probably over-reacting. It might’ve been just a rat, or something. But, she was sure that there was a person here earlier, maybe they hid?

Continuing to look for whoever or whatever made that noise just led to her being more stressed. She grunted as she stood in the dark, looking for something that wasn’t even there. Sighing, she wiped her sweaty forehead and took off her jacket.

She went back downstairs, turning off the music and storing away her rubber dummies. It was quick work, and after, ___ lay in the middle of the factory, just getting some rest. Raising her hands in front of her, she examined them.

Willing it so a small spark appeared soothed her a bit. However, it did add more to her tiredness.

Another noise came from above her. She took ragged breaths, and didn’t even notice it until she had to slow herself down. Ignoring the sound, she convinced herself that the sound was harmless. That it didn’t mean anything.

She laid there on the ground for a long time, feeling relaxed. Bit and pieces of her energy came back as she collected herself. It wasn’t enough to will herself to get up from the floor, but it was enough to kick start her mind again.

The week had been a horrible one. With her accidentally burning down a building, and Spider-Man showing up to ask her questions about it. Everyone thought that it wasn’t her, and she was thankful for that. Less suspicion was given to her. The less attention she got, the more she was free to do whatever she wanted.

She feared for the worst; not knowing how Charles would react to that event in later life. She wondered if he’d remember it or just block out the entire memory. 

Staring at the ceiling, she lost control of herself. The emotions she held two days ago came rushing to her. The hopelessness she felt as she saw the Laundromat burn up in flames? It ate her alive. She put her hand on chest and cried.

This was the first time in years that big, warm tears escaped her eyes. Sure, she had cried millions of times before, but this was the one that put everything in perspective. Maybe just losing her boring job felt like something that that was dear to her or maybe she was just projecting. Maybe she just needed a reason to cry.

 Whatever the reason was, a huge burden had been lifted from her. It wasn’t much, but she felt a bit better. The past few days tested her patience. Realizing that it was an obstacle that she needed to overcome, it was vital for her to learn from it. To learn that she won’t be able to separate her ‘vigilante’ life and her personal life, she needed to make sacrifices.

In a way, it was a reminder to her that being a vigilante came with its own set of problems. She had to decide if she was ready to be Fuse, in or out of the costume.

She accidentally let out a burst of electricity, and if it weren’t for her snapping back to reality, the factory could’ve burned down. Controlling the energy she released required a lot of concentration.

It was like a ball of fire, not wanting to be touched by anything. Trying to keep it in a cage only made it aggressive. It took almost all of ___’s willpower so she could avoid giving in. The electricity was strong, and it wanted to get out. She kept her hands on it and forced it into a tiny ball, until it disappeared.

By the end of it, she was breathing heavily, trying hard not to pass out. She couldn’t pass out, no, not here. She needed to get home, and it was imperative _not_ to get discovered by anyone in this dusty old factory.

A wave of tiredness washed over her, and she longed for a cup of coffee. Just a taste of it would make her whole week better.

\--

Another day at school. At least it was Friday, she wanted nothing more than get a small break from everything. But seeing her brother made her smile, and suddenly, the day looked like it was going to be full of sunshine.

___ took Charles to Midtown Preparatory School. It was an extension for Midtown High, where she attended her classes, but for elementary students. Since Charles wasn’t allowed to walk to school or back home without anyone with her, ___ had the task of going with him.

She didn’t mind walking with him, in fact, she cherished moments where they could just talk to each other. Charles had great stories to tell, and often, those with great stories have equally great ears.

It was amazing to just hear him talk about his new projects and what he wanted to research about after school. He was full of childlike wonder, and ___ enjoyed listening to the future. She knew that those things he talked about were going to come true.

“I think someone should figure out how we could travel really fast! Like go from here, to the school, in a second! That’d be really cool,” ___ smiled at him and nodded.

“You’d probably just show us all up and discover how to do that. You have a lot of great ideas, the whole world is running out of them because of you!” Charles laughed and playfully smacked his sister.

“I don’t think that’s possible, and there are others who are a lot smarter than me! I’m just a kid,” The gates of the school were in view, and Charles skipped over to it.

“Look, you’re not just a kid,” ___ went down on her knee and looked straight in his eyes. “I see something in you. Something wonderful, and you’re gonna be amazing! I just know it. So don’t doubt yourself, Charlie,” Charles looked at her, eyes opened in such a style that even made the grin on ___’s get bigger.

“I’ll remember that. Thanks, ___,” She messed with his hair and patted his back.

“Now go out there and change the world, buddy,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof i didnt really like this chapter my dudes. more thoughts and rambling than stuff that actually pushes the plot forward lfjsl;djfsdjf
> 
> so here it is, i hope you all liked it! i got off my lazy ass and wrote another chapter so ye :)
> 
> dont forget to leave criticism and comments!
> 
> see yaaaaaaaa


	6. leads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter talks with his friends as he tries to figure out what the next move he should take.

The sun was bright, and Peter looked down as its rays were trying to kill him-again. He _knew_ that the sun was plotting against him and wanted to wipe him off the planet. Well, the sun wanted to do that to everyone, but he thought he was its first target.

Brushing off his thoughts, he thought about the girl he saw at the factory a while ago. _A while ago_ because he got home at four in the morning. He didn’t take into account the distance of his apartment and the old factory, and he immediately passed out on his bedroom, not before struggling with opening his windows.

A hand grabbed him by the shoulder, and he almost kicked the person who did that, until he heard a familiar voice.

“Yo, Peter, you look like a zombie, what happened last night?” He turned around and sighed in relief. Putting his hand on his chest, Peter chuckled at Ned.

“Jesus, Ned, don’t do that next time! You know, I almost hit you. Almost,” Peter whispered the last part and headed straight to his locker. “Anyway, where’s MJ? I need to talk to the both of you,”

Ned rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat. “She’s kinda busy? I don’t know, she kept thinking about this girl she met,” When Ned saw the confused look on Peter’s face, he quickly followed it up. “But, she promised to meet us both at lunch, so no sweat,”

“Does she have a crush on this girl?” He opened his locker and grabbed a few books, before slamming it shut. “Like, I swear, remember the dude she had a crush on last week? Then the twins and the girl who sat behind her in class?”

“I would like to remind you, Mr. Parker, to shut the fuck up,” There, in all her glory, Michelle was standing behind the two of them. “It’s not my fault that so many people in this school are cute. Don’t be bitter about the fact that I probably get more action than you, nerd,”

Ned laughs at this and claps his hands. “I don’t know how you’re going to bounce back from this Peter, just know that your next kin are going to mourn for your _hard loss_ ,”

They all continued to walk through the packed halls, with Ned and Michelle egging on Peter. It was a bit early, so they still had a few minutes of conversation.

“Oh please, I don’t have time for any kind of romance. I’m so busy I-“ Michelle interrupted him.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it, Spider-boy, you work for Tony Stark!” She turned to Ned and scoffed. “Look at this Ned, his ego’s suddenly bigger now that he’s with Mr. T,” He nodded and stretched.

“You know, Peter, if I didn’t know you I’d probably assume that you’re a huge nerd-fanboy for Stark. Holy shit, don’t tell me you’re the president of his official fan club!” Ned and Michelle laughed loudly, earning looks from others.

“C’mon, it’s not _Spider-boy_ , it’s Spider-Man,” He stopped for a moment, until mumbling, “And the president of the fan club is a girl from Brooklyn,”

“Fuck, how’d you know that? Did you try to assassinate her to get the position?” Michelle furrowed her eyebrows and contorted her face weirdly.

“Ugh, no! I just-“ The loud bell rang throughout the school and everyone scrambled to their respective classes. Peter and Ned waved goodbye to Michelle. Just as they were running, they heard her shout.

“See you at lunch, Mr. President!”

\--

“Thank God for lunch breaks! I didn’t know how I was going to survive if I just stayed there in Mrs. Reskin’s class,” Peter exclaimed to Ned, power walking to the cafeteria.

“Yeah, dude, she just talks _so_ slow. It’s like she thinks we’re in kindergarten or something,” Close to the entrance, they see that Michelle was already at their table, looking through her phone. She lifts her eyes up and sees them, gesturing to them.

“’Sup? Get your food so we can talk about whatever you wanted to talk about Peter,” Shooing them away, Peter and Ned grabbed trays and got food as quickly as possible. Then, they finally sat down on the bench and Peter lets out a deep breath. “Peter, if you’re just going to breathe at us, then at least brush first, you troglodyte,”

Peter covered his mouth and tried to smell it. “My breath isn’t smelly,” He glanced to his side, briefly making eye contact with Ned. “Is it?” Ned shook his head and Peter relaxes. “Anyway, I have to talk about this strange thing that happened,”

“We haven’t got all day, kiddo, hurry the fuck up!” MJ grinned at him and took a sip of her drink.

Peter thought for a moment before speaking again. “I don’t know if they broadcasted this on the news, but you remember that burning Laundromat two days ago?” Michelle and Ned nodded.

“Of _course_ I do, Pete, you texted me just as I was about to go to sleep,” Michelle laughed at this.

“So you’re all texting each other about this and leaving me out of the scoop?” She took her spoon and ate her food. “Continue, Parker,”

After Peter got them up to speed on everything, he mentioned what the old man said to him in the hospital. “Oh, I almost forgot, that old guy? Before he got an attack, he whispered to me ‘that girl has electricity through her veins’,” Saying it in an old and quiet voice earned a look from Ned.

“Dude, sounds like that grandpa was taking some drugs before you showed up,” Michelle nodded in agreement.

Peter only looked at the two of them in disbelief. “Guys, it was an electrical fire without any wires or machines that could’ve triggered it!” When he didn’t get any response, he continued. “I have a thing with webs! I work with people who have superpowers. Her having them isn’t an unlikely scenario,” He whispered the last part.

“Pete, I see where you’re getting from, I mean, this girl you’re talking about? Sounds like she’s hiding something,” Michelle continued to talk, while Ned silently ate his lunch. Peter, on the other hand, was gazing behind Michelle. She didn’t notice this until she tested if he was listening. “Hello? Peter? I think Star Wars and Star Trek are bad franchises,”

Ned reacted to her statement, but Michelle just shushed him. “He’s not listening, MJ. And, Star Wars and Star Trek are _great_ fran-“

“I found her,” Peter could not believe what-or who-he was looking at. Both of his friends tried to look for whoever he was talking about but they could not spot her.

“What are you talking about, man? We’re not psychics, believe it or not,” Ned kept on straining his eyes just to find who his best friend was staring at.

Michelle turned her head, but after seeing no one of importance, she turned back to Peter. “If you’re this fixed on looking at her, she better be pretty,”

Soon, he snapped out of it. “No, I-I-she’s here, the girl I was talking about. She told me her name was ___,”   

“___? I think I know that name, she sits behind me during journalism class,” Michelle looked again. “Oh, I see her. We’re not close, but we sometimes talk about projects,”

“Pft, and you call Pete the nerd,” Michelle rolled her eyes and huffed.

“You mentioned she has a younger brother? Why not just ask the kid? Children are impressionable, y’know,” She snorted at her suggestion, but Ned’s eyebrows curled.

“MJ, I don’t think you know this, but he’s also impressionable,” Ned pointed to Peter, who was currently in deep thought.

“You’re right. I should target the kid. Get information about it, maybe that could clear things up,” Michelle and Ned looked at each other for a second, but before Ned could say anything, Michelle spoke up.

“I don’t think you know what a ‘joke’ is. But, you don’t _have_ to listen to me, even thought I’d like that. It was a bad joke,”

“I just have to follow her after school because she probably picks up her little brother. Yes, this is great,” Peter mumbled to himself and the bell rang, signaling that it lunch had ended.

Ned whispered, “Don’t do anything you’ll regret later,”

Michelle sighed and wiped her forehead. “Or something that _I_ would regret, Parker. It was a fucking joke, don’t follow them. Think about what people would see if they saw you talking to a child you _don’t_ even know, you dumbo,”

“Don’t be silly, I won’t regret this. In fact, this will be a huge help for me,” A faint smile appeared on his face and the three friends separated, as they had different classes that afternoon.

He was in an eerie ‘happy’ mood. He had finally a good lead. He just hoped that the kid would give him information.

Next class was Physics, and they gave out the results from yesterday’s quiz. Without looking at his paper, he already assumed that he had a high score. Lo and behold, he got an ‘A+’. This day was just getting better and better.

Recalling the phrase that the old man told him, he disagreed with him. Peter thought that he was the one who had electricity running through his veins, and he knew he was going to have a great day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i made 2 updates in 1 day ahhh
> 
> i hope this is full of quality!! its mostly full of dialogue sooo
> 
> dont forget to leave a comment and criticism!!
> 
> see ya next update! :)


	7. surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes Fridays can be the worst and best day of the week.

Friday.

It was a day that tormented almost every living and breathing student in the world. It was full of projects and homework, and basically it was an excuse for your teachers to dump everything on you.

___ sat in her chair, trying to listen to Ms. Frant yap about their journalism newest project. Unfortunately, she was having great difficulty in accomplishing that because her head was nodding off. Fighting her sleep was one of the worst that had ever happened to her.

Mostly because sleep usually won, and ___ did not like losing.

She had already been told off by her teachers, but it seemed like no matter how many times she got screamed at, her sleepiness was just _so_ stubborn. So, she was in the middle of her last class, with fifty minutes left to go.

“Okay! Class, one of our, more, bigger projects, include finding a partner!” Ms. Frant had obviously not expected the overwhelming reactions of her students. Everyone chattered and was making a lot of noise. They pointed and each other and knew who their partner was going to be. ___ was jolted awake by noise and sighed, rubbing her eyes.

 “Calm down everybody! Your partners are going to be people who you are not close to and I will know, because I will be double checking your pairs!”

The class’ enthusiasm was dialed down by a hundred. There was a great and heavy atmosphere hanging in the air, as everyone tried not to show how upset they were. ___ was okay with their teacher’s choice, as she really didn’t have enough energy to get up and talk to others.

A girl in front of her raised her hand. When Ms. Frant called her, she immediately asked a question. “Excuse me, Miss, but what’s our project about?”

“Ah, yes, the reason why I didn’t want you to pick partners whom you already knew was because you have to assume the role of a journalist, writing an auto-biography! You have to interview your partner, and write about their lives! I will be reviewing each chapter, so don’t forget to send me your drafts, alright? Any questions?” Nobody else raised their hand and their teacher donned a big smile. Her prominent English accent dominated the room as she exclaimed, “Chop, chop everyone! Have fun!”

It seemed as if ___ had luck on her side, because she didn’t even have to stand up to find a partner. The girl earlier who raised her hand turned to her. She was familiar, and ___ knew she had seen him somewhere. She shrugged it off and waved at her.

“What’s up? Wanna be partners?” ___ slowly nodded, and the girl offered her hand. “I’m Michelle Jones, but my friends usually call me ‘MJ’,” ___shook Michelle’s hand and smiled back at her.

“Nice to meet you, I’m ___ _____, call me whatever you want, I guess,” Michelle gave her a thumbs up and started talking.

“Cool, Hun, wanna meet tomorrow at Angel’s Diner tomorrow?” ___ cracked a laugh.

“Why does this kinda sound like a date?” Michelle winked at her ‘jokingly’.

“Could be,”

“Okay, for the project. For lunch?” They both agreed to the time and exchanged numbers.

“Is it cool if my two friends join us? They won’t bother us. They’ll just be there,” Once again, ___ nodded. “Great,”

Only then did ___ realize who she was talking to.

_Michelle Jones._

She almost slapped herself for not recognizing the name.

While Michelle Jones wasn’t objectively popular in school, she was part of the section that really didn’t fit anywhere. She recognized Peter Parker and Ned Leeds as one of those people, as they were one of the smartest students in the school. They were probably the friends that Michelle was referring, too.

It was so obvious, it stared at her right in the face, and she didn’t even dawn upon her until now.

The Academic Decathlon team was a big thing for a school like Midtown; almost a quarter of the students wanted to get into the team. So, the students that were actually a part of it were the best of the best, students who were hardworking, and students who were determined to win.

They were kind of a big thing in the school. The school gave a great budget to their team, so that was why they always got to participate in inter-school competition.

In their eyes, the students who were part of the team were the most intelligent people.

 She almost screamed as she stared at Michelle.

But she wasn’t going to do that. She needed to keep her cool in front of one of the people who she looked up to.

___ glanced at the clock in the room and saw that class was going to end in fifteen minutes. She fidgeted a bit and bounced her leg. She needed to run outside as soon as Ms. Frant dismissed them. Michelle took note of this.

In reality, she was only fidgeting because she was intimidated by Michelle. Of course, ___ would never say that out loud.

“Yo, are you okay, Hun? You’ve been moving like crazy, you need to go to the clinic?”

“No, there’s no need, I mean,” She stopped herself before revealing any big secrets to her. She did not want to leave any sort of bad impression on her, especially if they were going to be partners for their project.

She only raised her eye brows, but she shrugged. “Whatever you say, Hun. So, what if we start doing the drafts for the outline, then discuss about it tomorrow? We could join our ideas together to create a good project, and then interview each other after. Sound good?”

“Yep, sounds like a plan,”

The bell rang, and ___ was one of the first few people who got out of the classroom. Midtown High and Midtown Preparatory had the same dismissal time, so she had to dash outside to get Charles.

Out on the street, Midtown Preparatory was only a few blocks away. ___ didn’t really need to rush, but so many students wanted to get out of the school at the same time, so sometimes, they blocked the entrance. If you were early, you got the privilege of being the first student of being free from Midtown.

For some reason, ___ felt like she was being watched, but whenever she turned around, there was no one, except for a bunch of students. Her shoulders shuddered as tried to shake those thoughts out of her mind.

Walking on the sidewalk, she smiled as she saw the gates of Midtown Preparatory School from a distance. It was just a few minutes away, so ___ could take her time. It seemed as if her school dismissed them early, as she could not see any other student outside. She guessed they were still inside.

She leaned against the gate, waiting for the bell to ring.

Intently watching the crowd in front her, she tried to spot anyone who would look suspicious. She had been feeling a bit uncomfortable the whole time, but she couldn’t explain why. It wasn’t like she was paranoid or anything like that, it just made her feel… weird, to put it simply.

However, she had no luck, because there was no one she could say that was watching her. Not anyone who’d have a reason to, anyway.

Of course, she had to admit that she wasn’t a remarkable student. She had already some to terms with that, and she was fine with being an average one. The only thing he was worried about is the school noticing this.

Most semesters, there would be a curve, because of her over performing peers. She had barely tried to sustain her grades and adapt to it. It wouldn’t be long until the administration would find out.

___ sighed as she tucked her hair behind her ear. She wasn’t a smoker, but she really wished she had a cigar that moment.

Her heart almost gave out on her when the loud ring of the bell alarmed everyone that it was the end of classes. Composing herself, she entered through the gate and tried to find Charles. She scanned the mass of students, but she couldn’t see him.

“Hey, ___!” Her eyes widened and she saw Charles, staring up at her.

“Charlie! Don’t do that, I was scared!” Putting her hand on his shoulder, they started to walk towards the gate.

“Sorry, I was excited to see you! I’ve finally gotten progress on that secret project I have,” He exclaimed, gripping his backpack tightly. “I can’t wait for you to know about it,”

___ raised her eyebrows. “Really? How do you know I’m gonna like it?” She joked, making sure that her tone was obvious. Charles laughed and wiped his forehead.

“I hope not! I worked hard on it!” Now, it was ___’s turn to laugh.

“Well, kiddo, I’m sure anything that you work hard on will be perfect,” Charles beamed at her and skipped, being a step in front of her. She kept a close eye on him as her feeling of being watched returned.

Seeing the entrance of their apartment gave her relief and she shooed Charles in. When they got to their room, she seized him before he ran to his room.

“Mister, I have to talk to you,” Charles turned to her and nodded. “It might just be nothing, but if a stranger approaches you, you have to tell me that you’re not going to talk to them, okay? Any person you _don’t_ know,”

“___ I’m not five, of course, I know! You don’t have to tell me this,” Charles continued to his room when ___ gave him the green light.

Zooming to her room, she laid on her bed, feeling the softness of her bed. She put down her bag and closed her eyes.

It was times like this that were the reason why she thanked God for Fridays.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if this made sense but im so fucking tires i still have training tomorrow
> 
> i hope u enjoyed this chapter, please leave a comment and criticism!! will have reader and peter interact soon. angst will be around the corner as well hehehe
> 
> see you and good night!! imma sleep now


	8. thoughts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter, his friends, and ___ talk. He soon comes to a few realizations.

It was not normal for Peter to be this excited, or be so hung up on a case.

But somehow, he just couldn’t stop and feel like today was going to be a good day.

Sitting at Angel’s Diner, he could only imagine the information that he could get out of her. Maybe she was going to speak about everything. He hoped that she only didn’t say anything to him two nights ago was because he was dressed as Spider-Man and maybe that intimidated her.

Yeah, that was it. Probably.

The diner was a bit packed, so they had to get the booth at the far back. There were lots of customers, and the waitresses were running from table to table. So, when they told the waitress serving them to “come back later”, she gave them a sour look.

“Damn, MJ, that lady gave you an eye roll,” Ned piped up, writing down something on his paper. Peter snorted and Michelle scoffed.

“Oh please, Ned, you just wish she was looking at you,” They all laughed and made jokes about each other, until ___ entered the diner. Peter and Ned, who were facing the entrance, went silent, while Michelle was waving her hands in front of their faces. “Hello? Are you guys alright?” She looked behind her and saw ___. She gestured to her and ___ walked towards them slowly.

Peter observed that she was a bit fidgety, and was a bit too rigid. Her movements were a bit too unnatural. Of course, he shrugged it off because it was a normal response if you were going to meet up with people you didn’t know much about. He didn’t even sense anything wrong with her, no matter how much he searched, no malice came out of ___.

She sat down next to Michelle and Peter tried his hardest not to ask her about the incident. Thankfully, Ned breaks the silence.

“Hello! I’m Ned, nice to meet you!” He offered her his hand and ___ shook his hand. Peter did the same thing and ___ laughed a bit.

“Are you guys this formal?” She looked at them expectantly and Michelle nodded.

She nudged ___ and barely above a whisper, but enough for the boys to hear, she says, “Well, I guess they’re awkward because they _are_ nerd virgins who do nothing else but marry their computers and they’re interacting with a pretty girl like you, but ___, you study at Midtown, you should know all about these kinds of guys.”

Peter stared at Michelle in disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how much she just hated the both of them. While Peter and Ned wallowed in the brutal truth that escaped from their best friend’s mouth. “That’s harsh, even coming from you, MJ,”

However, ___ just laughed. Her head fell and she was clutching her stomach. After a couple of seconds, ___ abruptly stopped. “Shit, sorry, didn’t mean to laugh like a hyena. It’s just that- you guys are really fun,”

Michelle feigned a fake hurt look and her eyebrows curled. “C’mon, ___! Did you really expect that me and my friends aren’t? Gosh, I’m wounded by your assumptions!” She clutched her chest and closed her eyes. ___, baffled by her response, tried to comfort Michelle. But Michelle, being Michelle, she took her hand and kissed it, making ___ blush madly.

The lighting was dim, but everyone could see her face. She was trying to cover it up, while Michelle laughed. “You should’ve seen your face!” ___ relaxed when it was apparent that Michelle did not, in fact, harbor feelings for her.

“Wow, guys, love this whole,” Ned gestured to both of them. “thing. But, we all have stuff to do, and that waitress has been looking at me angrily for the past minute, so,”

Peter nodded. On a normal day, he really wouldn’t care if the management were angry. But, with the answer for his case right in front of him, he had to play his cards right. And that included forcing Michelle and her to work on their project. He seriously hoped that ___ was an over sharer kind of person.

They all come to a mutual agreement, and they all become silent, with slight banter from Michelle, Ned and Peter. They had ordered milkshakes and fries, with the exception of ___. Her excuse was ‘I’m not hungry’.

Unlike from a while ago, she was silent again. Peter still didn’t see anything wrong with it, but he was a bit alarmed. She had tucked her hair behind her ear for a few times now, while talking with Michelle. You couldn’t really classify it as talking, really. It was more like whispering.

He sneaked in a few glances at her, trying to be as stealthy as possible. It was already at least twenty times she did that thing with her hair. Soon, she was curling it and Peter could feel that she was bouncing her leg, thanks to his super senses.

He was getting suspicious, so he lifted his phone up and texted Ned.

_Peterman: yo ___ might be lying to mj_

In a few short moments, Ned’s phone buzzed and Peter watched as he read his message. He could see Ned was rolling his eyes at him.

_needleman: lol why??? she seems like a good person dude_

_Peterman: NED she has tics that show when she lies!!!! Ive seen it when she was talking w the cops and SPIDER_

_needleman: oh pls, pete, youre just paranoid. shes pretty sweet?? and she doesnt seem like the kinda person whod burn down buildings_

_Peterman: i WILL prove you wrong_

_needleman: ok so u want one of mj’s friends to be an arsonist?? Wtf_

_Peterman: NO I DIDNT MEAN IT LIKE THAT_

The two of them heard someone clearing their throat and looked up from their phones. Michelle was still writing something down, but they both knew that was her. She tapped her finger two times and one long one, then repeating it for a second. Peter realized what she was doing.

The trio had devised some sort of tapping communication that would allow for them to talk to each other without ever opening their mouths. They copied off of Morse code, but it was completely different. It only had a few words so far, but each word had its own pattern. They made sure that the vocabulary included swears and essential words. This pattern was ‘liar’, and to them, it was one of the essential words.

Michelle’s eyes briefly flickered to the direction of ___. They instantly knew what she was trying to say. Peter looked at Ned with a shit-eating grin and the latter responded with a middle finger below the table.

They finished earlier than they expected, so they sat in the booth, talking.

“Hey, guys, have you heard about that building just a few blocks from here? Like the Laundromat?” Peter decided to bring that up. His best friend nudged him, but Peter knew that ___ would have a reaction about that. “That was crazy, I was there the night it caught on fire, but I got out of there like a few minutes before,”

Trying not to show it, Peter looked at ___’s direction, but not at her.  Michelle butted in. “Yeah, but it was weird, it just suddenly,” She made a gesture with her hands. “went kaboom.”

At this point, ___ was visibly sweating, and she had shifted in her seat for a few times. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty glad they caught the guy who did that fire, it was _huge_. That guy must’ve been a mutant with a cool power,” Ned finally decided to join the conversation. He knew that it was set up to make ___ talk.

If he was wrong, ___ would join the conversation and discuss the event, without any harsh statements. If he was right, _which he was_ , ___ would deny that the guy had powers. Peter found that most mutants, even if they were shy, still took pride in their powers. So, if ever they were to hear someone taking the credit of their own, that mutant would certainly lose their cool.

“Well,” ___ started, and everyone stopped talking to listen to her. “I don’t think that he was the one who made that fire,”

The three best friends looked at each other, and Michelle leaned on her seat. “What makes you say that? It said on the news that there were four people, three citizens and the bad dude. I doubt the citizens could make the fire,”

Peter nodded. Even if they agreed secretly, they just couldn’t accept her suggestion right off the bat. They had to be suspicious, act like they didn’t know much. No personal information was ever released to the public, so, they had to pretend like ___ wasn’t part of it.

“Oh, hmm. I haven’t really thought about that. But, er, I heard on the news that the guy didn’t have a mutation! Yeah, that was it,” She mumbled the last part to herself, and again, Peter’s senses went off. He had to stop himself from moving on instinct and attacking her. “And who knows? Maybe one of those citizens made the fire, anyone can be a mutant!”

“Really? I must be really behind, I haven’t heard that.” Ned wiped his sweating forehead. Peter knew that lying to someone was making him uncomfortable, because Ned had a tendency to just sweat a lot. “However, I heard Spider-Man was there! Like he saved the people and tied up the dude!”

Michelle had a mischievous glint in her eyes as she smirked at Peter’s way. “I wonder how Spider-Man is like. I’m sure he’s kind and brave like the Avengers!”

“Yeah, I’m a really big fan of them, how about you, ___?” Peter put on a fake excited expression and sipped from his drink.

“I don’t really see anything special about Spider-Man. Like, cool, he has web stuff, but he’s not as great as Captain America or anyone like that,” Peter tried to mask his disbelief. He swore his soul exited his body right at that moment.

Michelle nodded. “You know what, ___? You may be on to something,” Michelle, one of his few best friends, was really doing her best to make fun of him. He could only think as to what he had done to have someone like her to be his friend.

“Spider-Man has redeeming qualities! Ned, back me up on this,”

“I forgot to tell you, ___, they’re both really big Spider-Man fans,” Peter glared at Michelle, and thus began their long discussion about whether Spider-Man was a great hero or not.

Soon, Peter and Ned realized that they were never going to win this fight against them, so they surrendered, but not before a long monologue about superpowers. The uneasy atmosphere that they experienced a while ago had dissipated into the air. The sun had already set, and they were still inside the diner, talking about nothing and everything at once.

“Oh, shit! I forgot to text my brother! Wait, let me just…” ___ took out her phone, and after a series of taps, she put it down. “It’s alright, he’s just doing his own thing,”

“You didn’t tell me you had a brother,” Michelle took out her notepad and wrote it down. “What’s his name, age, height, personality, weight-“

Ned whined. “MJ, I thought we were done with the work? Have fun with us, dude,”

Of course, while Michelle was a bit vulgar, she cared deeply about her academics, which was one of the reasons why she became the captain of their Academic Decathlon team. Peter gave Michelle credit, but there was a right time for everything. Michelle sighed, and put her notepad back inside her bag.

Peter saw ___ give Ned a thankful nod. He guessed that she must’ve been tired from the personal questions they’ve asked each other and wanted a break. He understood, after all, he _was_ under Michelle’s leadership, and she can be a bit too intense to those who don’t know her very well.

“Fine, I’ll do whatever the majority says. But if I don’t get a good grade because of you, it’s your fault, Leeds,” Peter cracked a grin at her using Ned’s surname. She only did this to seem distant and make whoever she’s talking to uncomfortable.

“Hey, ___, wanna come with us to Pete’s apartment? You don’t have stay the night, just have dinner,” ___ gave them a constipated look. She muttered a small ‘wait’ and took out her phone again. They all watched her as her eyes lit up to whatever she was reading.

“My brother’s okay with it, so yeah, I’ll go,”

“But, ___, isn’t your brother young-“

Ned, once again, nudged Peter. He looked at him in shock and Ned whispered, “We’re not supposed to know her brother’s age!”

Peter slapped himself mentally. _Of course_. After almost slipping up, ___ didn’t exactly hear his question, but gave up on asking what it was when she saw Peter’s sweaty face.

“Are we good to go?” Michelle stood-no, squatted- up awkwardly, before going past ___’s seat. “Because I am,” She called a cashier for the bill, and paid for it. Then, everyone followed her outside, chattering and making fun of everything and nothing.

\--

 They arrived at Aunt May’s apartment, just in time for dinner. She was preparing the table, with extra plates for Ned and Michelle, as they frequented his house. Peter told Aunt May about ___ and she happily added another plate.

“Y’know, Peter, you bring more and more friends everyday! How am I going to keep up?” Aunt May jokes to him and his friends. Peter only awkwardly smiled as Aunt May approached ___, no doubt trying to learn about what she thought about Peter.

She was on her second question, when Michelle cleared her throat. “I’m pretty hungry after all that studying, whoo _boy_ ,”

That was a lie. They didn’t have any appetite to eat anything after the fries and the milkshakes. However, ___ was the opposite. She quickly sat in her designated seat, between Ned and Michelle, and right across Peter.

He could not distinguish if that was because she was relieved that she was able to escape his aunt’s questioning or if she was really hungry. Either way, he respected both reasons. Aunt May kept the conversation going and asked a lot of questions, directed to all of them.

“So, how did you meet ___?”

Ned, Peter, and ___ looked at Michelle. Her eyes went wide momentarily, but went back to their normal state. She dropped the fork she was holding, not that she was eating anyway. She was stabbing the food ever so often. “Well, it was a project, actually. Our teacher made us write about each other so we became partners,”

“Isn’t that weird? Like you’re acquaintances and you already know everything about each other,” Aunt May looked at both of them, narrowing her eyes. “But I guess that’s a good activity for the students.”

Ned nodded. “Yeah, like making them interact with people they won’t really talk to,” At this, ___ coughed audibly. Michelle let out a snort and Peter tried to cover his mouth. “I mean, not that I’d avoid you, ___! It’s just, uh. Erm, I won’t initiate conversation with you. Oh god that came out wrong, sorry! Um,” He glanced around him, resting his eyes on aunt May, asking for help.

With one laugh, aunt May helped Ned out of the hole he dug himself into. “Don’t make fun of Ned, guys. He really didn’t mean that.”

Peter saw the clock. It was already nearing ten. He looked at ___, seeing that she was already looking at it. She was no doubt itching to get home. It wasn’t really rude, nor did Peter feel offended, he understood her situation. To be so far from someone you had the duty to protect was nerve wracking. Not knowing what they were up to, especially because her brother was younger than her, felt like you’d forgotten something.

In a way, he and ___ were alike, with something and someone to protect.

But he had much respect for her. Without abilities like he had, he could only dream of having your talents. To be able to save a person without any kind of help? That was something he had always thought of. After all, if you stripped him of his powers, he would only be a nerdy kid in New York. He wouldn’t be put on the map by just liking Star Wars and Tony Stark. Spider-Man put him there. He was a different persona for Peter. Something to hide behind. It was a mask that he was grateful to have, but also loathed.

Spider-Man wasn’t real. Only Peter Parker was real. He knew that somewhere along the road, he would also have to do what Mr. Stark had done. Revealing your true self was something that was inevitable, and he couldn’t change that. The only thing he could do was wait for that day to come and to hopefully prepare himself for it.

Because it sure as hell won’t be easy to do.

A loud laughter erupts, and he misses the joke that caused this. He only realized that he was the one that they were laughing at because he had only been smiling at his chicken for the past few minutes.

Then, he understood and remembered.

He won’t be alone. He had a mother figure, two best friends, and a new acquaintance.

He was right. He had a good reason to be giddy.

It had been a good day after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lkjsgjgqrgkl sorry for not updating!!!! omg its been so long!!! almost two weeks!!!! ive been busy with school work, so hopefully this long chapter makes up for it. 
> 
> its not that long but its longer than my usual word count so i hope you enjoy it!!
> 
> remember to leave a comment as those help a lot!!
> 
> thank you and see yaaa


	9. glad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ___ spends time with Peter, for a little while.

A soft breeze passed by ___, making her hug herself as a thin protection against the cold. The twinkling stars had already shown, etching themselves on the vast darkness of space. She closed her eyes as soft chattering of the group filled the air. She didn’t want to join in on the conversation; it was enough for her to just listen.

“Right, ___?” She snapped her eyes toward them. It seemed as if Michelle had asked her a question, but unfortunately, she wasn’t paying attention.

“Huh?” Ned laughed with Michelle. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that, can you repeat it again?”

Michelle shook her head. “It was something dumb, don’t worry about it.” She resumed making jokes and the atmosphere became lighter.

On top of the roof, sitting on the floor, ___ was staring at the sky. She had been silent for a while, but she nodded along to the conversation, as to not attract any attention. Not that she didn’t care about their conversation, but that she couldn’t relate much to the trio.

They had been friends for a long time, so it was expected. However, she had only met Michelle a few days, with Ned and Peter just a few hours ago. She didn’t have the energy to try and pretend, and frankly, she had hoped Charles would’ve asked her to come home. But unfortunately, that was not the case, and she’d have to go through this entire situation. It was as if she was a stranger, listening in on them. They had inside jokes, same interests, and great senses of humor. The only things she had in common with them were that they attended school together, and were teenagers. Other than that, there was nothing else.

“That’s definitely Tony Stark’s ego! Large and blinding!” Michelle pointed to a group of stars. While ___ wasn’t sure where exactly, there were a bunch of stars grouped together, forming a huge circle, almost. At this comment, they all made up weird and wrong constellations.

“Looks like Mr. Evans’ jokes! Sad and lonely!”

“Is that my friendship with the both of you? Nonexistent?”

“Woah, that constellation is really small! Is that Peter’s di-“

Peter quickly stopped Michelle from ending her sentence. He silently glared at her while she just acted like she did nothing wrong.

___ had actually cracked a smile, hearing Michelle’s rude and insulting joke. The three heads turned to her, silently chuckling, but no one pointed it out. They all smiled as they had finally made ___ laugh, as she had been nonresponsive for a while. Everyone had noticed, and they had secretly agreed to make her participate.

By any means, the barrier that was there had been opened, as ___ began to join in their conversations. Not as rowdy and as loud, but with the most vigor they had seen her. It wasn’t her full-on hyper self that would once in a while plague her, but it was enough to pump her up. She kept on adding, until their stomachs had almost burst out of their bodies from too much laughing.

For ___, it was a great night, and she had momentarily forgotten about her doubts and insecurities, if only for a little while.

\--

As she walked home, she realized how far Peter’s apartment was from hers. He had offered to walk her home, and she had denied, but he insisted so much that ___ had succumbed. Michelle and Ned weren’t with them, as they were, ‘too lazy and full’.

They kept their space from each other, a bit scared to initiate conversation. Until finally, Peter had put his foot down.

“You don’t have to join us if you’re uncomfortable,” He started, and you tried to pick out from his voice if there was anything that said ‘please stay away from our group’, but there was nothing. It was almost as if…

He genuinely cared.

But how could this be? He didn’t know her well enough, nor were they close friends. However, he was honest.

“No, I’m not, I’m just,” She stopped, trying to form a coherent sentence, and Peter had stopped, and listened, waiting for her to continue. Once she found the right words, she started again. “shy, I guess. I’m not used to this kind of humor or conversations, but I’m starting to like it. I live with my little brother, so that’s why I tend to not say anything like that, but I can. It’s just that I’m not… as expressive as you all are, I think,”

Peter laughed at this. “You think?”

At this, ___ had turned red from embarrassment. Was she really this indecisive of her own self? “I mean! Uh, I don’t know, actually. You three are one of the smartest people at school, so it’s a bit… Intimidating,”

This time, it was Peter’s time to be embarrassed. “I-I’m not _that_ popular!”

“I hear rumors and gossip about your Decathlon team! You-you just don’t hear…” _Fuck._ ___ had accidentally exposed herself to listen to others talk about them! Realizing that, her voice became smaller and smaller, hoping that the earth would just swallow her whole. “Nevermind!”

They had avoided looking at each other. But Peter, once again, had spoken. “To be honest, we were actually trying to make you laugh, ___. But don’t tell the others I said that, okay? They’re gonna treat me like a traitor!”

“Why?”

The question rang in the air, and ___ had expected an answer, however, none came. Peter had been silent for a while. Deciding that he didn’t hear it, ___ didn’t ask again, in fear for the last pieces of her dignity.

Nearing her apartment complex, Peter stopped walking, which also made ___ pause. “Peter?” She called out to him, and he looked at her, straight in the eyes.

“Because we thought you didn’t like us, so, we wanted to make you laugh, or at least be happy.” That was his answer, and he glanced to the side.

Hearing this from someone she hardly knew, ___ didn’t know what to say. Was there a right response? A wrong one? She struggled, trying to come up with what to say. Peter was stuck to the ground, and ___ was sure that if she had even showed the slightest negative reaction, this interaction would’ve made a bad impression.

He would think she hated or even despised him.

So, she had to be careful, and choose her words carefully, if she ever dreamed of having a  friendship with him.

“Well, it worked, because I feel pretty happy right now.” _AHHHHHHHH_. She had to get out of there. What in the _fuck_ did she even say? It sounded like there was some kind of subtext in there, and she didn’t want him to think that she had a crush on him!

Well, she did. Just a tiny bit.

However, _this_ was just crossing the line! Did she even have a brain? Because it sounded like she was a brain-dead idiot!

“I’m glad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE ENJOY THIS LAME ASS UPDATE!!!
> 
> there was literally nothing here. i was lazy and sdfsdfirg. just hoped the interaction with peter was okay bc im trying not to make everything awkward and forced and fast kjlkdjgdg
> 
> i just hope you liked it! and please leave criticism and comments!! thank you!!
> 
> see yaa
> 
> updates may be slower than before, but that may change bc its almost summer lkjfje


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